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First full-squad workout has Blue Jays pumped

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DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Spring Training is now officially in full swing as the Blue Jays held their first full-squad workout at the club's Bobby Mattick Training Center on Sunday.

Pitchers, who reported to camp on Tuesday, used the opportunity to throw batting practice. The likes of R.A. Dickey, Mark Buehrle, Esmil Rogers and Brett Cecil took the mound in the latest step toward getting ready for the start of the regular season.

Hitters were allowed to swing, but for the most part, they took only light cuts and tracked pitches through the strike zone. They then stuck around after the pitchers were done to go through a more traditional BP session.

"That's all for the pitchers," hitting coach Chad Mottola said of BP. "Spring Training in the first week is for the pitchers. It's one of those things that, 'Hey, guys, get what you can get out of it. Let the pitchers get their work in.'"

The day began with a speech from general manager Alex Anthopoulos and manager John Gibbons. It was a brief exchange with the players designed to outline the expectations of Spring Training and set a guideline for conduct and professionalism throughout the season.

A similar talk is given every season, but this one comes following a busy winter that has heightened the expectations not only outside of the clubhouse but inside it as well.

"It's a little orientation," Gibbons said. "I had a three-minute rah-rah speech -- 'Let's go, let's not get caught up with what [media] are saying, let's get our work done and play baseball.' Basically, if we're good enough, we'll get there. If we're not, we won't, but we should be."